ORAC
They must be left there!
AVON
To Die?
ORAC
There is no option —
To reopen teleport contact could
expose the base to undefined
Systems Influence.
AVON
Oh, You'll have to do
better than that, Orac,
if You expect Me to
KILL them.
SLAVE
Course co-ordinates one five two
by zero zero five.
VILA
Report on that turbulence back there.
SLAVE
Power surge.
VILA
Details! [Turns towards Tarrant.] Anything?
TARRANT
Yes. Power surge in drive unit two! [Alarm sounds.]
VILA
But ... how? [Turns towards Slave.] Report!
SLAVE
Assessments failure.
VILA
Assessments failure? Huh! We'll just have to ask Orac, then, won't we! Let the expert sort it out.
SLAVE
Yes.
VILA
Yes, sir!
SLAVE
Sir!
VILA
What's got into Slave?
[Camera shot of Muller in the medicapsule.]
[Avon, Orac, Dayna and Soolin at Xenon base.]
ORAC
Random fluctuation
in circuit pulses.
AVON
Cause?
ORAC
External Influence.
TARRANT
[V.O. over comm.]
With nothing visible on the detectors.
VILA
[V.O. over comm.]
Nor the scanners.
DAYNA
Could they be faulty?
ORAC
Detector and scanner circuits record normal function.
AVON
So how is it external?
DAYNA
A freak magnetic storm?
ORAC
That would have been observed.
VILA
[V.O. over comm.] So what have you observed?
ORAC
A paradox.
AVON
In other words, nothing.
ORAC
Correction. The pulse influences are external to the circuits, but could be internal to the craft.
AVON
Internal? [Opens comm link.] Tarrant, what have you got up there apart from yourself, a half-wit and a corpse?
TARRANT
[V.O. over comm.] A box. [Shot changes to Tarrant on Scorpio.]
AVON
[V.O. over comm.] Describe.
TARRANT
Cuboid. Made of what looks like parafit, roughly the size of a power unit. I found it in Muller's lab.
AVON
[V.O. over comm.] Any idea what's in it?
TARRANT
None at all.
AVON
[V.O. over comm.] What's the matter, has Vila lost his touch?
VILA
Give me just one minute.
TARRANT
Vila, no! [Vila approaches the box. As he touches it, the same electrical power surge occurs again. Vila tries again with the same result.]
TARRANT
Slave?
SLAVE
Course co-ordinates one five two by zero one eight.
TARRANT
Zero one eight, that's way out.
SLAVE
Affirmative.
TARRANT
Apply course correction. Priority! [Points to Slave.]
SLAVE
Negative.
TARRANT
[Opens comm link.] Are you there, Avon?
AVON
[V.O. over comm.] What's happening?
TARRANT
Slave appears to have thrown off his chains.
VILA
Apply course correction, Slave, now!
SLAVE
Negative!
VILA
Right, that's it, finished, we'll do without the useless thing.
AVON
[V.O. over comm.] He's right for once, Tarrant. Take the Slave computer offline. Do it now.
TARRANT
Trying to pilot this ship without a flight computer is gonna be hard work, Avon.
VILA
At least we'll be heading in the right direction.
TARRANT
You really think Slave is the source of the problem?
AVON
[V.O. over comm.] It shows signs of malfunction, wouldn't you say?
TARRANT
That's not what I asked.
AVON
[V.O. over comm.] At this distance it's the best I can do.
TARRANT
[sighs] I'm taking Slave offline. [Slave goes offline.] On manual control, Orac. Confirm course.
ORAC
[V.O. over comm.] Course one five two by zero zero five.
VILA
[Sits next to Tarrant.] A little hard work never hurt anyone.
TARRANT
How would you know?
